Putin appears to have taken a decisive ideological turn. Listen to the @PowerVertical podcast: http://t.co/GIOmQSCLY0
— RFE/RL (@RFERL) August 2, 2014
Vladimir Putin has long shown himself to be ruthless and cynical. But also pragmatic and rational.
In his third term in the Kremlin, however, and particularly in the Ukraine crisis, Putin appears to have taken a decisive ideological turn.
As pressure mounts from Western sanctions and Russia becomes more isolated, speculation has intensified about whether Putin will seek an exit strategy from the Ukraine crisis, or whether he will escalate yet again.
The answer largely depends on which Putin — the pragmatist or the ideologue — the West is dealing with.
On the latest “Power Vertical Podcast” Brian Whitmore discusses the issue with co-host Mark Galeotti, a professor at NYU, an expert on Russia’s security services, and author of the blog “In Moscow’s Shadows”; and Kremlin-watcher Ben Judah, author of the book “Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell Out Of Love With Vladimir Putin.”
Also on the podcast, Mark, Ben, and Brian discuss how attitudes in Europe about Russia are changing — and changing dramatically.